With great power ...

[BobcatJH]

It's hard to assemble one's thoughts in the wake of such a massive Democratic - and democratic - victory in Tuesday's election. Results are still pouring in and others may remain up in the air for some time, but one thing is for certain: Tuesday was a victory for American values. For common-sense economic policy. For a domestic and foreign policy that champions the common good. For functional government that serves all people, not just some people. For checks and balances and proper oversight. For a positive message that doesn't underestimate the American public. For civil liberties. For the people who decided to use their power to take power. For hope. For optimism. For America.

Everywhere you look, voters repudiated the Republican Party. Voters said "no" to a disastrous stay the course policy in Iraq. Voters said "no" to the culture of corruption that festered under Republican control. Voters said "no" to a runaway executive branch drunk with power. Voters said "no" to governance that hates governing, to the subtraction-by-addition mindset that allowed, among other things, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Voters said "no" to the politics of George Allen, Ann Coulter and Karl Rove. But by saying "no" to the Republican Party, Americans were more accurately saying "yes". "Yes" to change. "Yes" to the promise of a better tomorrow.

But, of course, none of these things will happen overnight. None of us woke up today, save our gleeful cheer and feel-good optimism, to an America that was no longer stained by Republican governance. President Bush remains in power and, despite the fact that his power has just become even more limited, remains a man unconcerned with the will of the people. The fingerprints of the Tom DeLays of the world also remain in Washington, damage to Congress and the nation's trust that will prove difficult to reverse. Though stung, the right-wing smear machine remains largely intact, backed into a corner by the will of the people and seemingly poised to lash out during its last throes. Though shocked and still unable to cope with Tuesday's outcome, the administration's friends in the Beltway media remain skeptical of the Democratic Party and the stiff wind at its back provided by the American electorate. And though largely marginalized, the now-regional Republican Party has shown little interest in bipartisan work for the common good. Those are the challenges we face. And those are the challenges we can overcome.

Make no mistake, America has a second chance. Voters cast a vote yesterday for true change, for a new direction. And, in doing so, they've given Democrats great power. But, as you know, with great power comes great responsibility. In many people's eyes, it is now up to the Democratic Party to perform an impossible task: To right this ship. But America has done the impossible before. Think of what progressive leadership has been able to do when given the opportunity. We ended slavery. We got women and African Americans the right to vote. We helped the poor, the sick and the elderly. We landed on the moon. Though there are myriad obstacles in our way, we've been given a tremendous opportunity to heal our democracy and, to be sure, our nation. And while Tuesday's results were a vindication
of many philosophies and many people, they weren't, as we know, the end of the story. They were only the beginning. What we do with the chance we've been given is completely up to us. So let us join together now, progressives, and get back to work. America needs us.